High-Demand Tech Jobs in 2017: #3- Web & Mobile Design

2017/03/06

Planning to build your tech career in 2017? You may want to consider a few high-demand fields that are positioned to take off this year. We’re profiling careers to watch, along with everything you need to get started.

High-Demand Job #3: Web & Mobile Design

Quick Stats

Market Growth: 10-year job growth is 18% (CNN Money)

Average Salary: Average Salary: (UI/UX Designer)- $87,883 (Glassdoor)

Job openings: Job openings: 30,770 (Indeed)

Overview

Have you ever seen a webpage or app and been blown away by the design? Or, better yet, have you ever seen a page that needs a little work? Maybe it’s not user-friendly or responsive. Maybe it’s got way too much going on and needs to be simplified. Maybe it needs a special touch. Maybe it needs you!

For those who dream about a tech role that channels their creativity, web design and UI/UX design are in-demand and rapidly growing fields to explore. Over the last several years, some of the top tech companies have used a design-centered approach to set themselves apart from the competition. The tech sector as a whole is following their lead, which means there’s no time like the present to learn web design, UI, or UX.

How To Become A UX Designer, UI Designer, or Visual Designer:

In the tech world, "design" usually refers to three different fields- UI Design, UX Design, and visual design. All three are great fields for career-changers because employers will typically prioritize the strength of your portfolio over whether or not you have a design degree. With demand high, many career-changers are learning the basics through online web design courses and bootcamps

As you do your research, you’ll want to first know the differences between some of the most in-demand design roles. While the terms ‘UI Designer’ and ‘UX Designer’ or often merged together into a UI/UX Designer job title, the two actually mean slightly different things:

UI Design: This refers to the aesthetics of a website, and is closely related to graphic design. The UI Designer works on a combination of research and branding to create the look and feel that’s best for a particular audience. UI Designer salary: $96,524 on average (Glassdoor)

How to become a UI Designer: As a UI Designer, you’ll want to master a few skills:

Style Guides

Interaction Design Principles

Branding, Typography, and Color Theory

Prototyping

UX Design: The field of UX Design is more about how a website or app works. It is the process of enhancing customer satisfaction by designing products that are intuitive, easy to use, and delightful. The UX Designer takes on projects like customer analysis, wireframes, and prototypes. UX Designer salary: $87,883 on average (Glassdoor)

How to Become a UX Designer: As a UX Designer, you’ll want to master the following:

User Research + Usability Testing

Storyboarding

Wireframing

Prototyping

Make sure you compare job descriptions and responsibilities for a few different positions before you decide on your direction. This will help you identify if you’re more interested in a role as a UI Designer, UX Designer, or a little of both.

2. Learn the Basics. Before you dive into a bootcamp, make sure you’ve mastered the basics. Check out one of these free online courses to get started:

3. Research Bootcamps. A UI, UX, or web design bootcamp can give you all the skills to either transition into these fields from a field like graphic design, or land an entry-level web design job. Take a look at the full list here and check out the following: